Skånland ( sme, Skánit) is a
former municipality that was located in the old
Troms
Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by t ...
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. The municipality existed from 1926 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into
Tjeldsund Municipality. It was part of the
Central Hålogaland
Central Hålogaland ( no, Midtre Hålogland) is a district of Northern Norway constituting the traditional districts of Ofoten, Lofoten, Vesterålen and Southern Troms og Finnmark. It has a population of 117,000, with the largest towns being Hars ...
region, just southeast of the
city of Harstad. The
administrative centre of the municipality was the village of
Evenskjer. Other villages included
Grovfjord,
Renså,
Sandstrand, and
Tovik.
![Tennevikelva](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Tennevikelva.jpg)
The
Tjeldsund Bridge
The Tjeldsund Bridge ( no, Tjeldsundbrua) is a suspension road bridge that crosses the Tjeldsundet strait between the mainland and the island of Hinnøya in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The bridge is long, the main span is , and the maximu ...
in Skånland connects the island of
Hinnøya
Hinnøya is the fourth-largest island in Norway, and the largest outside the Svalbard archipelago. The lies just off the western coast of Northern Norway. The island sits on the border of Nordland and Troms og Finnmark counties. The western ...
(the largest coastal island in Norway) to the Norwegian mainland.
At the time of its dissolution as a municipality on 1 January 2020, the municipality was the 210th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Skånland was also the 265th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,994. The municipality's
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was and its population has increased by 4.6% over the previous decade.
General information
Skånland was established on 1 July 1926 when the large municipality of
Trondenes
Trondenes is an old parish and former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located along the western shore of the Vågsfjorden in what is now Harstad Municipality. ...
was divided into three municipalities:
Sandtorg (population: 4,224) in the southwest, Skånland (population: 2,443) in the southeast, and
Trondenes
Trondenes is an old parish and former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located along the western shore of the Vågsfjorden in what is now Harstad Municipality. ...
(population: 3,429) in the north. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the
Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II.
It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...
. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipality of
Astafjord (population: 1,120) was merged into Skånland. On the same date, the part of Skånland on the island of
Rolla (population: 143) was transferred to neighboring
Ibestad Municipality.
The municipalities of Skånland and Tjeldsund voted to merge on 1 January 2020 to form a new, larger municipality of Tjeldsund.
Name
The municipality, and the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
, is named after the old ''Skånland'' farm (
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...
: ''Skánøyjarland''), since the first
Skånland Church was built there (in 1870). The first element is the
genitive case of an old name ''Skánøy'' (but the meaning of this is uncertain) and the last element is ''land'' which means "
land
Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...
" or "
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...
". The name might be of
Sami
Acronyms
* SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft
* Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company
* South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...
origin, meaning "small mountains" (''skánit'').
Coat of arms
The
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
is from modern times (1988). They show a black
auger on a gold background. This was chosen since the production of augers, and their use in construction of
boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically found on inl ...
s, has long roots in the municipality.
Churches
The
Church of Norway has three parishes ''(sokn)'' within the municipality of Skånland. It is part of the
Trondenes prosti (
deanery) in the
Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland
Nord-Hålogaland ( no, Nord-Hålogaland bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms og Finnmark county as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Trom ...
.
Economy
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
is important in Skånland, and there are also many people working in Harstad or at the
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport ( no, Harstad/Narvik lufthavn; ) is an international airport located in Evenes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The airport serves the towns of Harstad and Narvik. It is co-located with Evenes Air Station of the ...
.
Geography
The municipality includes the western and northern part of the
Ofoten peninsula, which is bordered by
Ofotfjord
Ofotfjord ( or ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . ...
in the south,
Tjeldsundet
Tjeldsundet is a strait in Northern Norway. The long strait is located between the island of Hinnøya and mainland Norway in its northern part and between Hinnøya and the island of Tjeldøya in its southern part. Tjeldsundet has been an importa ...
in the west, and the
Astafjorden
Astafjorden is a fjord (more accurately, a strait) in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It flows through the municipalities of Salangen, Gratangen, Ibestad, and Tjeldsund. The long fjord flows from the Salangen fjord in the east to the Våg ...
and
Vågsfjorden in the north. Neighbouring municipalities are
Evenes
Evenes ( sme, Evenášši) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bogen. Other villages in Evenes include Liland, Tårst ...
to the south,
Narvik in the southeast,
Tjeldsund
Tjeldsund ( sme, Dielddanuorri) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The southwestern part of the municipality is part of the traditional district of Ofoten and the rest of the municipality is part of Central Hålogaland. The ...
in Nordland to the southwest.
Harstad
( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, the most populous town in Central Hålogalan ...
in the northwest, across the Tjeldsundet, and
Gratangen
Gratangen ( sme, Rivttága suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Central Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årstein.
The municipal ...
in the northeast, are located in Troms county.
Evenskjer, located in the lowland bordering the Tjeldsundet strait, is the largest village. In the northern part is the smaller village of
Grov. Other villages are
Renså,
Tovik and
Sandstrand.
The largest lake is
Skoddebergvatnet, and the highest mountain is
Skittendalstinden at in the mountainous center of the
peninsula. There are
calcareous
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s near Skoddebergvatnet. The lake
Niingsvatnet is located on the border with
Evenes
Evenes ( sme, Evenášši) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bogen. Other villages in Evenes include Liland, Tårst ...
.
Climate
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Skånland, are responsible for
primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient
health services,
senior citizen
Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...
services,
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...
and other
social services,
zoning
Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...
,
economic development
In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...
, and municipal
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
s. The municipality is governed by a
municipal council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
of elected representatives, which in turn elect a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
.
The municipality falls under the
Trondenes District Court and the
Hålogaland Court of Appeal
The Hålogaland Court of Appeal ( no, Hålogaland lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Tromsø. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark as ...
.
Municipal council
The
municipal council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
of Skånland was made up of 15 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...
breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
See also
*
List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links
Municipal fact sheetfrom
Statistics Norway
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skaanland
Tjeldsund
Former municipalities of Norway
1926 establishments in Norway
2020 disestablishments in Norway
Populated places disestablished in 2020